By Jeff Vorva
Correspondent
Heading into the weekend, only Kansas City and Orlando were unbeaten among NWSL teams.
The teams were tied atop the league standings, with each sporting 8-0-4 records.
They now share another common denominator: Both have forged draws with the Red Stars.
Red Stars defender Sam Stabb’s header in the 90th minute helped the Red Stars tie KC, 2-2, in front of an announced crowd of 11,500 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City on June 14.
The Red Stars tied Orlando, 1-1, on the road on March 29.
The Red Stars (5-6-2) were outplayed in just about every phase of the game against KC, which had a 63%-37% possession advantage, a 28-8 shot advantage and a 15-4 shots-on-goal advantage.
That’s usually a recipe for disaster, but the late heroics helped Chicago salvage a point.
“Tying up a game like that against a team like that in an environment like that showed a lot of resilience, it showed a lot of character and a lot of grit and fight,” Red Stars rookie Leilanni Nesbeth said. “It’s something to build up on and hopefully gain some momentum from this.”
Mallory Swanson scored her fourth goal of the season in the fifth minute. After KC scored a pair of second-half goals, Swanson’s corner kick found Staab in the 90th minute for the equalizer.
Up next
The sixth-place Red Stars hit the road again on 5 p.m. on June 23 for a battle with seventh-place North Carolina at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
The Courage is 5-7-1 after a 0-0 tie with Orlando at home on June 15.